Stormwater
What is stormwater and why is stormwater pollution an issue?
Stormwater is the runoff generated by rainfall plus anything that is carried with it. In an urban environment stormwater has the potential to become polluted.
Roof water, water runoff from driveways, paths, carparks, water from grassed areas and road runoff are all generally directed to the stormwater system which discharges into the river system inhabited by fish, frogs and other aquatic animals and plants. That is why only clean rain water should enter our stormwater system.
What can you do about it?
Mr Jones is a fictional primary school teacher and the star of an animated video recently developed for Council’s It’s Our Macquarie stormwater education campaign.
Council is encouraging residents, schools and businesses to follow Mr Jones on his journey along the Macquarie River to find out more about the impacts of stormwater pollution on our local waterways.
Watch the VIDEO to find out more:
Further Campaign Information Resources:
What is Council doing?
Council continues to play its part in helping to reduce stormwater pollution through:
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Delivering stormwater education campaigns to the local community to ensure residents understand the impacts of stormwater pollution and ways they can help to reduce it.
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Installing stormwater treatment devices in developed areas where practical, such as Gross Pollutant Traps (GPTs).
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Requiring new developments to incorporate stormwater treatment measures, such as rainwater harvesting, swales, retention basins, wetlands (PDF 253.3KB) and GPTs.
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Using asset management guidelines, developed by the Institute of Public Works Engineers Australia, to help manage the stormwater system.
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Undertaking street sweeping programs, rubbish collection and more.
For more information please contact Council’s Manager of Infrastructure Strategy.
Stormwater systems components
In the Dubbo region, the stormwater system consists of underground drains, open drains and swales, stormwater inlet pits and stormwater pipes.
In the Dubbo urban area, there are over 200km of pipes. If you laid them end to end then they would stretch along the Mitchell Highway from Dubbo to Bathurst. There are also more than 6500 stormwater pits, with many of these being inlet pits that capture stormwater runoff.
Across the local government area Council has 62 Gross pollutant traps installed to help trap pollutants and over 70 retarding basins which control discharge and help to reduce stormwater flows.
Last Edited: 06 Dec 2021